DEMOCRACY
BY: CATHERINE
WHAT IS DEMOCRACY ?
MAP OF AUSTRALIA
light pink = western australia
dark pink =northern territory
skin colour = south australia
green = queensland
dark yellow = NSW
light yellow = victoria
light blue = tasmania
Tony Abbott
Some personal details about Tony Abbott, Tony Abbott's full name is Anthony John Abbott he was born in London, England UK on the 4th of November 1957 and is now at the age of 56. His wife is Margie Abbott and they married in 1988 and now have three kids Louise, Bridget and Frances.
On the 18th of september 2013 Tony Abbott was sworn in as the 28th prime minister.At his one-year anniversary in office Tony Abbott’s pledge to stay a reforming Prime Minister will now be guided by a new method – an effort to become more inclusive and search for greater political consensus. In his exclusive one-year anniversary interview with The Australian this was Abbott’s unmistakable message. After the upheaval surrounding the budget Abbott seeks to find a sense of governing normality — he wants to reduce the drama, crisis and upheaval in politics.
also as I think most of you have heard Tony Abbott is also pronounced toe, knee, abb, but.
THE FLAGS OF AUSTRALIA:
our national flag
the aboriginal flag
the torres strait islander flag
the australian personal flag of queen elizabeth ll
australian fedaration flag
flag of victoria
flag of queensland
flag of tasmania
flag of western australia
flag of the northern territory
flag of south australia
flag of NSW
population in australia
the population in Australia is 23,598,898.
the fauna of australia:
kangaroo
playtapus
emu
the flora of australia:
flower gum
wattle
waratah
the commonwealth of australia
the coat of arms:
history of federation
Australia became an independent nation on 1 January 1901. The British Parliament passed legislation allowing the six Australian colonies to govern in their own right as part of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The Australian Constitution is the most important document in Australian government history. It established the Commonwealth Government (now known as the Australian Government), defined its structure, powers and procedures, and defined the rights and obligations of the states in relation to the Commonwealth.
the three arms of the australian government
The Australian Government, sometimes referred to as the Commonwealth Government or the federal government, was established by the Australian Constitution. It is divided into three arms:
- legislature
- executive
- judiciary
The legislature, also known simply as parliament, is made up of democratically-elected representatives from around Australia.
These representatives meet at Parliament House in Canberra to discuss legislation and make laws for the benefit of the nation. The issues that they can make laws on are defined by sections 51 and 122 of the Constitution.
The executive is the administrative arm of government, and is made up of government employees (the public service) working in a number of departments and agencies. The executive is empowered by the laws of Australia to put those laws into operation and uphold those laws once they have begun to operate.
The judiciary is the legal arm of the government.
Independent of the legislature and the executive, it is the role of the judiciary to enforce Australia's laws. It must also ensure that the other arms of Government do not act beyond the powers granted to them by the Constitution or by parliament.
parliament
Queen Elizabeth 2 of England is also Queen of Australia. She is the Head of State of Australia. Australians do not vote for her, because a queen or king gets that position from the king or queen before them, usually their parents or other relative.
The Queen lives in England, not Australia. The Governor-General does the job for her when she is not here.The Head of State does not run the country, but has other jobs to do, such as sign a law to make it official, signing the paper that begins an election and being commander in chief of the army, navy and air force.
Parliament House is a huge building where parliament meets several times a year to discuss and make laws for the country. A law is a rule that affects how we live.
In the Australian Parliament there are 2 sections, called Houses. They are the House of Representatives and The Senate.
the house of representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of Australia’s Commonwealth Parliament. There are 150 representatives elected by the Australian people. The House of Representatives is the house in which government is formed.
The House of Representatives has a number of important functions: it determines the government, debates and passes laws, watches over government administration and expenditure, and provides a forum for public debate on issues of national importance
the senate
The Senate is one of the two houses of the Australian Federal Parliament. It consists of 76 senators, twelve from each of the six states and two from each of the mainland territories. It shares the power to make laws with the other House of the Parliament, the House of Representatives.
Each state of the Australian federation, regardless of its population, has an equal number of senators. Twelve senators represent each state, and the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory are represented by two senators each.
the NSW premier
elections
In Australia, an elected government runs the country. Every four years, Australians who are over 18 years old must vote in an election. They help choose the people who will be in Parliament.
After an election, the group (called a Party) that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives becomes the government. The leader of that party becomes the Prime Minister. In Australia, a Prime Minister is the Head of the Government.
The Party with the next highest number of seats in the House of Representatives is called The Opposition and its leader is called The Leader of the Opposition.
political parties
The political parties are:
- coalition (liberal party of australia, national party of australia, liberal national party and country party).
- australian labor party.
- australian greens.
- palmer united party.
- australian motoring enthusiasts party.
- liberal democratic party.
- family first party.
- katter's australian party.
local council
The six states and the Northern Territory have established one further level of government.
Local governments (also known as local councils) handle community needs like:
- waste collection
- public recreation facilities
- town planning
The states and the Northern Territory each have many local governments within their borders. The state or territory government defines the powers of the local governments, and decides what geographical areas those governments are responsible for.
The naming conventions for local governments vary across Australia. They can be called cities, shires, towns, or municipalities, but they are still controlled by the state or territory government above them.
In the Australian Capital Territory, the responsibilities usually handled by local government are administered by a department of the territory government.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
population in western australia is roughly 2.551 million
Size: 2,525,500 sq. km. (about 10 times the size of the UK)
Capital: Perth (located in the south west corner of Western Australia)